Initial Testing and Design of a Portable Ultrasonic Flood Level Monitoring System

• Main Authors: Fontillas, Kashamira Anne P., Lu, Althea Julianne C., Panandigan, Yasmeen Lorraine A., Seacor, Atlas Leander S.
• Format: text
• Published: Animo Repository 2023
• Subjects: flood detection; monitoring; Internet of Things; Ultrasonic Sensor; Blynk
• Online Access: https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/conf_shsrescon/2023/paper_see/1; https://animorepository.dlsu.edu.ph/context/conf_shsrescon/article/1753/viewcontent/_EDITED__PP_SEE_Fontillas_Lu_Panandigan_Seacor_Chua___Kashamira_Anne_Fontillas.pdf
• Institution: De La Salle University

The Philippines is a disaster-prone country that frequently experiences flooding. Heavy rains, water congestion, and impassable flooded roads are prominent within the area, especially in urban streets and communities in low-lying areas. These circumstances are usually delayed in dissemination and cause further accidents and damage due to the lack of advanced and real-time alerts. Therefore, this study aims to create an initial testing and design of a portable ultrasonic flood level monitoring system that innovates mounting and portability features for affected communities to measure water levels before, during, and after floods to mitigate casualties by alerting the public of the rapid water level change. The system utilizes an ultrasonic sensor to measure the water depth. The system employs the Internet of Things (IoT) to transmit the collected data to the Internet, which is then relayed to the Blynk interface. Additionally, the system incorporates an LCD display when mounted on open-fence gates, serving as an effective means to alert individuals about the current water level condition when outside their premises. Based on the results, the device operates correctly, alerting people on time when the water level is rising. The performance of the portable ultrasonic flood level monitoring system was effectively tested and showed an accuracy percent of 95.54% in measuring flood depth. While the prototype has been tested in a controlled setting, there is still an opportunity for improvement. Integrating additional modules, such as rainfall and temperature sensors, a GPS, and a camera, can be considered for better flood water level detection.